Just hanging around talking
When sound check stopped, I walked around the Stockyards area for a while and looked around, then headed back to Billy Bob's when I knew the doors would be open again. The main floor area was still closed off, so I found a place to hang out in the general admission area, leaning against the rail. I started chatting with the guy standing next to me, Phil, and we talked about Styx and about traveling around to do the things you love. He climbs mountains; I go to Styx shows. I think the Styx shows are easier! But it kind of translated. He introduced me to his wife and daughter when they came over, and they were very nice.
A few minutes later, I heard someone over on my right say, "Well there's George, I wonder where Keith is?" I turned my head and there were a guy and a girl who I had never seen before, so naturally I just butted right in and said, "Keith just went that way to get something to eat." We figured we must know each other from somewhere online, and we traded screen names, and sure enough they were familiar! She was Lightwench, and in addition to seeing her name on the boards sometimes, I think I met her at a show in Tunica a couple of years back.
We stood and talked for a while, then Laura and Mike came up, and Laura introduced me to a couple of guys from the radio station sponsoring the show. Very nice guys. After that, people came and went and we passed the conversation off from person to person. The house band for the evening came out and took the stage in the back of the room, and we just stayed where we were and talked. This is probably the only time I have been to a Styx show where I didn't watch and pay attention to the opening band. They were good, but I just wasn't interested enough in hearing "Luckenbach, Texas" to go over and push through the crowd in front of the stage. So we stayed where we were and talked.